Monday, February 03, 2014

Making Some Changes

On Sunday morning, we have breakfast as a family before church at our youths' hangout spot. The hangout has a cafe where the kids can buy breakfast, snacks and Wednesday night supper. It even has an ICEE machine! Ms. Sharon is so sweet to cook for these kids and I told her that when Alise grows up and makes it to the Youth Ministry, I would help her in the Cafe. So on Sundays, we drink cokes {or in my case, a Diet Coke} and have a bacon or sausage biscuits before worship. It's a great - sometimes rushed, depending on what time we get there - family time for us.Yesterday, while Wayne was ordering our breakfast, Alise and I found our usual table and sat down. The next thing she said to me, really shocked me. She said, "I know what your word-of-the-year is." And I hesitated before I answered her because 1) I kinda felt like my "space" had been invaded by my nosy daughter, and 2) I knew I didn't have enough time for a "teachable moment" - which seems to becoming more frequent these days. But the truth is, Alise likes to watch TV in our bedroom and I keep my Bible and journal on my night stand, so I knew that's where she had seen my word-of-the-year. She had been reading my journal and I haven't quite figured out how I should handle that just yet. Well, maybe that's a little harsh; and giving her the benefit of the doubt because I know how much she detests reading. Actually, my journal was open to the page.So, anyway, I just looked at her a few seconds and finally I asked, "So what is my word of the year?" And she answered, PEACE. I looked at her for a few more seconds and then said, "So what is your word of the year?" Alise said, "I don't have one, Moma." And then, my heart broke a little bit for her because she didn't have her own special word. Just then, Wayne delivered our food and I told her, "We'll have to find a word for you, too" and she smiled at me. We went on to our Life Group and had an A-mazing discussion about God's #1 commandment (Luke 10:27) and what it means to truly love your neighbor as yourself. Oh, if I could just LEARN to take my eyes off myself and see others the way God sees them!!I've decided to make some personal changes in my life. I want to drink more water, I want to be productive around the house and get some things accomplished that have been hanging over my head for a while {I'm ashamed to admit that I still have a picture of Santa hanging on my wall in the living room}, I want to get back to walking and exercising, but the biggest decision I've made is to take a Facebook break for a while. I don't post alot of status updates - maybe just a picture from time to time, but it has become such a huge time waster for me. My husband needs me; my daughter needs me; and I need my family. And of course, just when I'm ready to push the publish button, our CEO of the faith based organization I work for posted this:"Holding on to the familiar may feel more comfortable than facing the unknown. Change can be frightening. Yet as I look back at my life, my breakthroughs have occurred when I was willing to let go of the usual routine, accept any temporary discomfort of change, and try something new. With this in mind, I now set aside any anxiety about a potential change and trust in God. I let go of others' expectations and follow my inner calling. I let go of the way things have always been and let God lead the way to something new. Releasing any fear of the unknown, I step out in faith."Enjoy your Monday!